Aşk-ı Memnu (Forbidden Love) Filming Locations 2026

Aşk-ı Memnu (Forbidden Love) was filmed in Istanbul, and its heart, the Ziyagil family mansion, is a real house: the Vehbi Koç Büyükdere House on Piyasa Caddesi in Büyükdere, on the European shore of the upper Bosphorus. Unlike almost every other famous dizi house, you can go inside it. The building belongs to the Vehbi Koç Foundation and is now a small museum with a kilim collection.

The 2008 series (Kanal D, 2 seasons, 79 episodes) starred Beren Saat as Bihter, Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ as Behlül and Selçuk Yöntem as Adnan. It became a hit far beyond Turkey, and Hungarian viewers know it as Tiltott szerelem.

We run a small hotel in Sultanahmet, and this is the one location fans of the show can reach in about an hour from our door. Here's what's there, what isn't, and how to get there.

Quick Summary

• The Ziyagil mansion: Vehbi Koç Büyükdere House, Piyasa Caddesi, Büyükdere (Sarıyer), now a museum and exhibition space
• What you'll see inside: a permanent exhibition of Anatolian kilims, not the Ziyagil furniture
• Next door: the Sadberk Hanım Museum, on the same street, run by the same foundation
• The 1975 version: the earlier TV adaptation used the Ahmet Afif Paşa Yalısı in Yeniköy, a private mansion
• Not confirmed: other locations reported in the press contradict each other, so we've left them out
• From Sultanahmet: T1 tram to Kabataş, then a coastal bus to Büyükdere, about an hour each way

The Ziyagil Mansion — Vehbi Koç Büyükdere House

When fans search for "the Aşk-ı Memnu house," they mean the white mansion where Adnan Ziyagil lived with his children Nihal and Bülent, his nephew Behlül, and, after the wedding, Bihter and her mother Firdevs. Most of the story plays out in and around this one house.

That house is the Vehbi Koç Büyükdere House, the former summer home of Vehbi Koç, the founder of Koç Holding, and his family. It stands on Piyasa Caddesi in Büyükdere, in the Sarıyer district. The photo at the top of this page shows it from across the road: white walls, green shutters and a Turkish flag at the gate.

Turkish press describes it as a white, three-storey house with ten rooms, which the production rented for the series. Wikipedia's article on the show and Daily Sabah both name it as the main filming location.

What makes it different from other dizi houses:

• It's open. In 2018 the Vehbi Koç Foundation opened the house with a permanent exhibition of the Josephine Powell kilim collection: 36 Anatolian kilims from the 18th to the early 20th century, plus woven sacks, a loom and 73 weaving tools, prepared by the staff of the neighbouring Sadberk Hanım Museum.
• Fans really do come. In 2024 Turkish press reported tour groups and fans of the series visiting and taking photos in front of the house.
• It isn't a set. Don't expect Adnan's study or Bihter's bedroom as you remember them. The rooms now hold textiles in display cases, and the house has been fitted with museum lighting and climate control.

Opening hours and tickets: a Daily Sabah article from November 2025 says the house is open every day except Wednesday, and admission was free when the exhibition opened in 2018. The Sadberk Hanım Museum's website doesn't list the house, so we couldn't confirm current hours or prices. Ask at the Sadberk Hanım Museum on the same street before you go, and don't plan the trip for a Wednesday.

Getting there from Sultanahmet: take the T1 tram to Kabataş (about 20 minutes), then any Sarıyer-bound bus along the coast road and get off at Büyükdere. Allow about an hour door to door, more in rush-hour traffic.

An Istanbulkart ride costs 46.20 TL, so you'll pay under €2 each way. Our Istanbulkart guide explains how to share one card across your group.

Sadberk Hanım Museum — On the Same Street

A short walk along Piyasa Caddesi brings you to the Sadberk Hanım Museum, set in a 19th-century wooden waterfront mansion (the Azaryan Yalısı) and a second building, the Sevgi Gönül wing. The Vehbi Koç Foundation opened it in 1980 in memory of Vehbi Koç's wife, Sadberk. Inside are archaeological finds, Iznik ceramics, Ottoman embroidery and silver.

Practical details from the museum's own website (November 2026):

Address	Piyasa Caddesi No: 25, Büyükdere, Sarıyer
Hours	10:00–17:00
Closed	Wednesdays, 1 January, first day of religious holidays
Adult ticket	€8 (450 TL)
Student	€2 (100 TL)
Note	The Turkish-Islamic art section is temporarily closed

The museum has no lifts or ramps, and Büyükdere's ferry pier is about three minutes' walk away. If you're making the trip for the Ziyagil house, this is the obvious second stop. Together they make a calm, uncrowded half-day, very different from Sultanahmet's queues.

The 1975 Version — Ahmet Afif Paşa Yalısı, Yeniköy

Aşk-ı Memnu is based on a classic Turkish novel by Halit Ziya Uşaklıgil, written at the end of the 19th century. The 2008 series wasn't its first adaptation. According to Daily Sabah, the 1970s TV version used the Ahmet Afif Paşa Yalısı in Yeniköy, a four-storey waterfront mansion from the early 20th century that later appeared in the series Binbir Gece (1001 Nights).

It's not open to the public. Like most Bosphorus yalıs, it faces the water, so from the coast road you'll mostly see walls and gates.

Yeniköy is on the same coastal bus route as Büyükdere, a few stops earlier. It's also the home ground of Yasak Elma: the Argun family mansion stands on the same shore (see our Yasak Elma locations guide).

An Aşk-ı Memnu Half-Day from Sultanahmet

Everything sits along one road on the European shore, so the trip is simple:

• 09:30 — T1 tram to Kabataş, then a Sarıyer-bound coastal bus north
• 10:15 — pass İstinye and Yeniköy: the stretch of shore where Nihan's family mansion in Kara Sevda stands (our Kara Sevda guide has the details) and where the Yasak Elma and 1975 Aşk-ı Memnu yalıs are
• 10:45 — Büyükdere: the Vehbi Koç Büyükdere House, the Ziyagil mansion
• 11:45 — Sadberk Hanım Museum, a short walk along Piyasa Caddesi
• 13:00 — lunch on the Büyükdere or Sarıyer waterfront, then the bus back. Stop at the Rumelihisarı fortress or Bebek on the way if you have energy left

If you're budgeting the day, transport and lunch come to very little. Our Istanbul costs and prices guide lists current transport and food prices.

What You Won't Find at the Aşk-ı Memnu Locations

• The Ziyagil interiors as you remember them. The house is now a museum, and the rooms are laid out for the kilim exhibition, not as the Ziyagils' home.
• Other confirmed locations. The production never published a list of locations. Turkish press reports about other places, such as a country house Behlül retreats to, contradict each other, so we've left them out rather than send you to the wrong place.
• Access to the 1975 yalı. The Ahmet Afif Paşa Yalısı is not open to visitors. Look from the road or the water, and please don't ring bells or fly drones.

Why Stay in Sultanahmet for This Trip

Büyükdere is far up the Bosphorus, but getting there is easy from the old city: the T1 tram stop is a few minutes from our hotel, and the tram runs straight to Kabataş, where the coastal buses start. Do the Aşk-ı Memnu trip in the morning and you're back in time for the Blue Mosque (2 minutes' walk from us) or Hagia Sophia (3 minutes) in the afternoon.

Book directly and you get 10% off our non-refundable rate. See our rooms, check dates and rates, or read our Turkish series filming locations overview to add The Golden Boy, Daydreamer and Magnificent Century to the same trip.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where was Aşk-ı Memnu filmed?

In Istanbul. The Ziyagil family mansion, the series' main location, is the Vehbi Koç Büyükdere House on Piyasa Caddesi in Büyükdere, in the Sarıyer district on the European shore of the Bosphorus. The production rented the house for the 2008–2010 series.

Where is the Aşk-ı Memnu house?

The Ziyagil mansion is the Vehbi Koç Büyükdere House on Piyasa Caddesi in Büyükdere, Sarıyer, Istanbul. It belongs to the Vehbi Koç Foundation and is a short walk from the Sadberk Hanım Museum on the same street.

Can you visit the Aşk-ı Memnu mansion?

Yes. Since 2018 the house has been open as a museum with a permanent kilim exhibition, and in 2024 Turkish press reported fans and tour groups visiting.

Recent reports say it's closed on Wednesdays. Check current hours with the Sadberk Hanım Museum before you go.

How do I get to the Aşk-ı Memnu house from Sultanahmet?

Take the T1 tram to Kabataş, then a Sarıyer-bound bus along the coast road to Büyükdere. It takes about an hour, depending on traffic, and costs 46.20 TL per ride with an Istanbulkart.

What is Aşk-ı Memnu called in English?

It's usually called Forbidden Love (sometimes The Forbidden Love). In Hungary it's known as Tiltott szerelem, and it was a hit well beyond Turkey.

How many episodes does Aşk-ı Memnu have?

Two seasons and 79 episodes. It aired on Kanal D in Turkey from 2008 to 2010, starring Beren Saat, Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ, Selçuk Yöntem, Nebahat Çehre and Hazal Kaya.